Optical component packaging to date has employed metallic cans into which are disposed optoelectronic devices, with connections made to optical fibers. Typically, the active optoelectronic device is mounted on a submount and the submount is bonded to a metal package. Wire bonds are used to make electrical connection to wire pins which extend from a metal header. A hermetic seam seal is used to bond a metal cap to the header. Generally, the caps are lensed with a ball lens or have an ultra flat glass window or cap with an optical fiber pigtail.
Typically, the metallic cans include optoelectronic components such as laser diodes or detectors, and are sometimes referred to as can lasers and can detectors. As previously stated, the cans, especially the detector can, is usually a lensed detector can.
In other known optical component packages utilizing laser cans and detector cans, packaging problems arose and alignment problems arose in transmitting light from the laser can into the optical fiber, and in transmitting light from the optical fiber to the detector can. Traditionally, a beamsplitting cube was utilized for focusing the light from the laser can to the optical fiber and for focusing light from the optical fiber to the detector can. This known device was not only bulky in size, but also required substantial precision alignments. Further, the beamsplitting cube, made from two right angle prisms with a coating between adjoining surfaces, was very expensive and thus made the overall device expensive.